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BHWT founder Jane Howorth tells all about our new ground-breaking online poultry course
Over the past couple of months, you might have seen updates about an online course that we’ve been working on alongside the University of Nottingham.
Well, I’m thrilled to share with you that the course has now been launched. And to report that more than 1,000 people have registered in the first month from around the UK and including as far afield as Afghanistan, America and Nepal.
Ground-breaking projects like these are only possible with the continued support of people like you. So, thank you.
I also want to thank our wonderful patron, Kate Humble, who fronts the course and Dr Robert Atterbury and Professor Paul Barrow as well as the always helpful and supportive Sarah Stubbings and Simon Barnett all from the University of Nottingham which is renowned for its poultry courses and has provided invaluable insight and support. In short we couldn’t have done it without them.
Our Poultry Health course is fronted by TV presenter and BHWT patron Kate Humble.
Kate said, “Many vets in the UK are familiar with treating more exotic species, like arachnids or lizards, as well as our regular domestic pets. But many vet practices are not familiar with treating poultry.
“Through this course, you will gain a broad insight into all aspects relating to poultry, including chickens, waterfowl, and game birds. It will enhance your understanding of the differences between the different poultry keeping communities and give you an insight into the different approaches that may be needed with each one, whether it’s commercial rearing, show birds, or people keeping poultry as pets.”
A very special thank you too, to Gaynor Davies RVN A-SQP, long-serving, hen-loving colleague and friend; with her veterinary nurse background Gaynor has been instrumental in helping to bring all the course content together. In short, invaluable.
What students will learn
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
• confidently diagnose and treat most common poultry conditions
• describe the differences between the various housing systems and categories of poultry
• understand current legislation and policy in relation to hen medications and nutrition
• describe the rationale for biosecurity and need for infection control.
There is, however, a ‘star of the show’ - someone who I’ve known for around 20 years and who has had the courage to learn through experience many pioneering skills to help our beloved hens. Our local vet and charity Trustee, Marcella Perversi MCRVS allowed us to video surgical procedures never before seen on hens and these feature within the course. Marcella, graduated at the Facolta di Medicina, University of Turin in 1996 and began her career in small animal and emergency veterinary clinics based in the South West. She’s now working as senior small animal vet at the Westridge Vet clinic in Winkleigh and regularly uses her veterinary acupuncturist skills on her patients.
The Poultry Health course, available via FutureLearn, is aimed at vets, vet nurses and vet students, but is open to anyone with an interest in poultry.
Topics covered on the course include basic anatomy and physiology, routine husbandry, specific infectious and non-infectious diseases, common surgical procedures, the basis of infection control, parasite control, vaccines and viruses, the difference between layers and broilers, nutrition, legal aspects and whether poultry feel pain.
We hope our course will plug the obvious gap in veterinary poultry education and as pet hens become more popular that our course will result in keepers able to seek advice and treatment from local knowledgeable vets.
Please share news of our course with your local vet, the more who understand how to care and treat hens, the better it will be for flocks everywhere. You can register for our course here: bhwt.org.uk/improving-pet-hen-health/poultry-health-course/
Our course is available free of charge, although donations are appreciated and will help us to continue our work to help hens: bhwt.org.uk/donate/poultry-health-coursedonation/
Turn to page 42 to see why this course is so needed to improve care for pet hens.
The BHWT teamed up with the University of Nottingham to create the course which is designed for veterinary professionals and hen keepers.
Dr Robert Atterbury, Associate Professor in Microbiology at the university, said, “We are delighted to have partnered with the British Hen Welfare Trust in the development and delivery of this course. My research over the past 20 years has focussed on poultry diseases and finding new ways that they can be controlled. Despite their growing importance in agriculture, and now as companion animals, poultry receive relatively little attention in veterinary education.
“The School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University of Nottingham is proud to launch this fantastic, free resource for people who may need to care for backyard poultry, either as professionals or hobbyists.”